Chapter 41 Catching Fish and Rubbing Her on the Ground
When Bai awoke from meditation, countless stars flickered and shimmered in his eyes.
She clenched her fists lightly, feeling the solid spiritual energy around her, a hint of joy flashing in her eyes.
Having undergone repeated trials in the Tower of Babel, rediscovered her Dao heart, and been refined by Granny Jiang's spiritual food containing the essence of heaven and earth, the spiritual power flowing through her meridians is now perfectly harmonious, and she has reached the true perfection of the Foundation Establishment stage.
This is not the Great Perfection of cultivation that ordinary cultivators talk about reaching a bottleneck, but rather a re-organization and refinement of the foundation of cultivation, so that every bit of spiritual power is condensed to the extreme and every inch of meridian is tempered to a perfect, flawless state.
Just as a beautiful jade needs to be carved and polished a thousand times to reveal its brilliance, the path of cultivation also requires repeated tempering in order to forge a true and immortal foundation for the Dao.
"Awake? How was the harvest?" Zhong Jiuli's clear voice rang out at the right time.
She had noticed Bai Ye's awakening the moment he did, but seeing him still comprehending his cultivation level, she hadn't disturbed him. Now, seeing Bai Ye's composed expression and the restrained brilliance in his eyes, she knew that he had gained a great deal from this experience.
“It’s very big.” Bai chuckled softly, stood up and stretched his limbs, then slowly walked over and sat down next to Zhong Jiuli.
"How did we end up back on the spirit boat? Where are we?" Bai asked casually.
"We have arrived in Dongzhou."
"Huh? I don't feel anything at all?" Bai also looked out through the crack in the window frame and saw that the sea of clouds below was no longer mountains and rivers.
The vast expanse of blue water shimmered with golden light under the sun, creating a magnificent scene where the sea and sky merged into one.
“Fellow Daoist Jiang’s spiritual meal can help you comprehend the rules of the Dao. After you and Jiaojiao finished eating, you both fell into a state of enlightenment,” Zhong Jiuli explained.
Bai licked her lips upon hearing this, as if she could still recall the exquisite taste of the spiritual meal. She said with some lingering relish, "It's a pity. If I had known I would fall into enlightenment, I should have eaten a few more bowls. The taste... slurp."
As she spoke, she started drooling.
Zhong Jiuli was amused by her pathetic appearance. She opened her palm, revealing a jade slip radiating spiritual light. "Before parting, Fellow Daoist Jiang gave me this recipe."
Bai Ye's gaze fell on the jade slip, and he rested his smooth chin on his hand as if deep in thought. "Previously, Granny Jiang was guarding against me like a thief, saying that I was trying to steal her skills. How come she gave you her best skills in the blink of an eye?"
"Oh~~ Zhong Jiuli, you wouldn't be bullying an elderly person living alone, would you?" she said, feigning sudden realization.
Zhong Jiuli wasn't annoyed. Instead, she chuckled and said, "I was thinking that once I fully comprehended this 'True Understanding of a Hundred Flavors,' I would make you some spiritual food to try. But it seems that young hero Xiaobai isn't too keen on eating it?"
"Hey~! Hey? I want food!" Bai Ye's face changed instantly, switching to fawning mode. "I was just joking with you. Our Sect Master Zhong is upright and honest, as bright as the moon in the sky. How could he do such a thing?"
"This Hundred Flavors True Explanation must have been stolen by Liu Xianyue, right!"
"You're right, my foot!" A sharp shout rang out from outside the cabin door.
As Liu Xianyue stepped into the cabin carrying Jiaojiao, she overheard Bai making fun of her. Enraged, she threw Jiaojiao at Bai like a projectile.
"Awoo!" Jiao Jiao drew a golden arc in the air, kicking wildly with her four paws as she pounced towards Bai Ye's face.
Pavilion Master Liu attacked in anger, his speed as fast as thunder, leaving no time for anyone to react.
Even though Bai reacted extremely quickly, setting up several layers of spiritual energy shields in front of him and reaching out to grab Jiao Jiao in the air.
But the golden lightning bolt pierced through Bai Ye's defenses with a "whoosh," deftly dodging her outstretched hand. With a "smack," the hard tortoise shell slammed solidly into the high bridge of her nose.
"Waaah..." Bai also wailed, covered his nose and squatted down, with tears welling up in his eyes.
When Jiaojiao saw that Bai was crying, she immediately reached out her little paws to wipe her tears, and said comfortingly, "Don't cry, Yezai. Jiaojiao didn't mean to hit you."
"I didn't cry." Bai sniffled, her voice trembling with tears. "I just got hit in the nose, and my eyes are a little sore."
After she finished speaking, she wiped the tears from her face haphazardly with her hands, looking extremely pitiful.
Zhong Jiuli watched this scene with a mix of heartache and amusement. This little tiger had suffered countless losses at Liu Xianyue's hands, yet he never seemed to learn his lesson.
She condensed a bit of spiritual energy at her fingertips and gently touched the tip of her nose, which was both white and red.
Bai looked at Zhong Jiuli through teary eyes, feeling the coolness from the other's fingertips. The soreness in his nose just now instantly disappeared.
In truth, with her current physique, such a minor injury could heal in an instant. But Zhong Jiuli, on the contrary, was unwilling to let her endure even this brief moment of pain.
Such meticulous and thoughtful care filled Bai Ye's heart with an indescribable warmth.
"Okay, it doesn't hurt anymore." Bai rubbed his nose, which had returned to normal, and scooped Jiao Jiao up and placed her on his shoulder.
Zhong Jiuli withdrew her hand, "You... since you can't beat your sister Liu now, just stop provoking her. Wait until your cultivation surpasses hers..."
"So, you're going to pin her down and rub her against the ground, right?" Bai couldn't wait to chime in.
Jiaojiao also waved her little paws, shouting, "Push me to the ground and rub me!"
Zhong Jiuli chuckled, "Don't lead Jiaojiao astray."
"Aren't you all being a little too presumptuous? Discussing how to humiliate me right in front of me?" Liu Xianyue's voice was now laced with rage. "Why don't I just try it out now!"
"I was just kidding. How could someone as fairy-like as Sister Liu be beaten to a pulp? Let's go see the sea." Bai also dashed out of the cabin.
As soon as you step onto the deck, the salty sea breeze hits you, carrying the scent of the ocean and an extremely rich spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
Looking out into the distance, the view stretches to the boundless sea, with only a few water fortresses faintly visible on the horizon, and further away, scattered islands.
Previously on the spirit ship, Zhong Jiuli had mentioned that Dongzhou had a unique topography with scarce land; most of it was vast ocean, and the few remaining pieces of land were scattered like pearls in the ocean.
Now that I've seen it with my own eyes, I know it's true! This scene of the vast blue sea and the ethereal fairy islands is exactly what the legendary Penglai Fairy Island looks like.
"Look, Yezai! Those fish can fly!" Jiaojiao suddenly poked her little head out from Baiye's shoulder, her golden claws pointing towards the sea.
Bai looked down and saw a group of shimmering silver flying fish breaking through the waves.
"Wow, these fish~ They look kind of delicious." She leaned half her body over the gunwale, staring intently at the silver fish.
The flying fish are entirely silvery-white, with long, sword-like bodies and translucent wings growing from their gills, shimmering with iridescent colors in the sunlight. When they take flight, their wings spread fully, resembling tiny silver dragons swimming on the azure waters.
"Jiao...are they flying towards us?"
As soon as Bai finished speaking, the group of silver fish below transformed into hundreds of silver streaks of light and shot through the air.
"Really? Let's get out of here!" Jiao Jiao exclaimed in surprise.
Just as the man and the tortoise retracted their heads into the deck, a series of loud bangs rang out, causing ripples to spread across the spirit boat's protective shield.
The defenses of Liu Xianyue's spirit boat were already quite sturdy, but the impact of these silver fish was astonishing, and each collision dimmed the light of the protective shield.
With such a commotion outside, it was impossible for Zhong Jiuli and Liu Xianyue not to come out and check. When they saw so many silver fish, their eyes also showed some surprise.
"Little guy, what did you do? How did you attract so many silver fish?" Liu Xianyue asked with a light laugh.
She wasn't worried at all about the silver fish breaking through the spirit boat's protective shield and getting inside.
"We didn't do anything, we were just lying here watching the sea, and then those fish flew out," Bai replied truthfully.
“Then you are truly fortunate. The silver fish of Dongzhou is extremely famous, and many cultivators come to Dongzhou specifically to catch it. However, this fish is extremely fast and lives in the deep sea most of the year, so it is rare for it to fly out of the water in such a large group,” Zhong Jiuli explained.
Zhong Jiuli talked for a long time, but Bai only heard one sentence: "You're lucky to have such a delicious fish." She quickly followed up with, "So this fish is really delicious?"
"Not only is it delicious, this fish contains extremely rich spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and it can also help cultivators comprehend the laws of heaven and earth."
While they were talking, the silver fish outside were still frantically ramming against the protective shield.
Not wanting to waste her spirit stones, Liu Xianyue simply waved her sleeve to shut down the protective shield on the spirit boat.
The moment the protective shield closed, the group of silver fish stabbed at the three of them like sharp swords.
An extremely fierce aura rushed towards them, and Bai quickly dodged to avoid it. She looked at the silver fish in the sky with some surprise and uncertainty.
Unexpectedly, each of these seemingly harmless and beautiful fish was comparable to a sixth-order demon beast, and some of them were even larger, reaching the seventh or eighth order.
If we consider human cultivation levels, then it's a group of Golden Core cultivators besieging them!
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!" The ear-piercing sound of air being torn apart rang out one after another. The silver fish missed their first attack and turned into hundreds of cold lights in mid-air, heading straight for Bai Ye's face.
"What's going on? Do you guys even have a GPS navigation system?" Bai muttered under his breath, pulling Jiao Jiao into his clothes and grabbing the heavy sword Dahei in mid-air with his right hand.
The sword swept across, bringing with it a flash of dark light, and collided with the school of silver fish, creating sparks.
Zhong Jiuli and Liu Xianyue were also trying to catch the silver fish in the air, but their efforts were completely different from Bai Ye's frantic attempts.
The two strolled leisurely through the school of fish, as if selecting seasonal delicacies at a market. Occasionally, they would spot a large fish that caught their eye and reach out to grab it, while the smaller ones flew towards Bai Ye.
Bai gritted her teeth and swung her sword. After fighting for a while, she found that the greatsword was particularly clumsy in front of such an agile opponent.
Silverfish's slender body always managed to dodge the sword's edge by twisting and turning in the air, while she herself was forced to retreat repeatedly.
"So stupid." Bai cursed under his breath, feeling like he'd lost his mind. Using a heavy sword to fight these guys was like trying to embroider with an iron rod—a waste of effort.
She sheathed the large black sword with a backhand motion, and with a flick of her wrists, two blazing flames appeared out of thin air. Instead of throwing the fireballs, she held them in her hands and used her fiery fists to strike the silver fish.
"Tsk, not too stupid." Liu Xianyue raised an eyebrow and chuckled, casually picking up another fat fish.
A look of relief appeared in Zhong Jiuli's eyes. She gently raised her hand, and an exceptionally large silver fish struggled to fall into her palm. "She has always been very smart."
Bai fought with increasing ferocity, turning the simple fireball technique into something extraordinary. Every now and then, silver fish would be hit by the fireballs, roasted until they were charred black, and the aroma of roasted fish would faintly waft through the air.
Jiaojiao peeked out from her collar, her little nose twitching incessantly: "Yezai, it smells so good..."
"It smells so good." Bai swallowed hard. This feeling was too strange. While fighting, her opponent was emitting an enticing fragrance, which made her lose her will to fight.
Silverfish: ...What nonsense are you spouting?
The two exclamations of "It smells so good!" from the human and the turtle thoroughly enraged the school of silverfish. Although they could not speak human language, as sixth-tier demonic beasts, they already possessed a certain degree of intelligence.
Bai also noticed that the silverfish's attacks were becoming increasingly fierce. Its slender body darted towards her like sharp swords, seemingly protesting silently. "Fight if you want to fight, why are you drooling over me?" This made her somewhat unable to defend herself.
Fortunately, the two vegetable-picking duo finally finished their battle.
With a flick of her sleeve, Zhong Jiuli sent the small silver fish on the spirit boat flying back to the surface of the sea.
Only a few dozen charred, fragrant silverfish remained on the deck. Bai let out a long sigh of relief; the fight had been agonizing, and his opponent smelled too good to be true.
"What should we do with these fish? Can we still eat them?" She was referring to the silver fish on the ground that had been roasted by the fireball.
"I can eat, I can eat, Jiao Jiao will eat now." Long Jiao couldn't wait to jump out from her collar and land on the deck. She picked up the biggest one with her little paws and bit off half of the fish tail in one bite.
Although she had shrunk in size, her appetite had not diminished at all. She ate fish like she was slurping noodles, swallowing the whole fish in one go.
"Wait!" Bai hurriedly pinched her chubby cheeks to stop her from swallowing the fish. "These have all fallen onto the deck and are dirty. We need to wash them before eating them."
Jiaojiao let her neck be pinched, her little mouth still chewing, until she swallowed the silver fish in her mouth, then she said speechlessly, "Yezai, when I catch fish to eat in the river, I just bite them as soon as I catch them. What turtle would give a fish a bath?"
As she spoke, she grabbed another one, slurped it up, and stuffed it into her mouth.
"Ah, Jiaojiao, if you eat again I'll beat you up!" Bai was also going crazy; she couldn't accept her friend picking up trash from the ground to eat.
Zhong Jiuli watched the man and the turtle fighting, then with a flick of her finger, a jade basin filled with water appeared on the deck. "Put it here to wash, and I'll make you fish soup later."
"Did you hear me? We're having fish soup later." Bai Ye slapped away Jiao Jiao's little mouth, which was about to bite the silver fish, and picked up all the fish on the deck and put them into a basin to wash.
Bai Ye carried the cleaned silver fish into the cabin and leaned close to Zhong Jiuli to ask, "What should we do next?"
Zhong Jiuli slowly took out the Hundred Flavors True Explanation and began to read it.
"You're learning this on the spot?"
"Hmm~ Why not?"
Bai shook his head, "Sure, you can do whatever you want. Do you need my help?"
"Jiaojiao also helped."
Seeing their expectant looks, Zhong Jiuli couldn't help but chuckle. "No need for help, you can just wait."
She carried the bowl of silver fish into the kitchen.
Before long, a delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen, carrying the salty scent of the sea breeze and the fragrance of medicinal herbs, making one's mouth water just by smelling it.
Jiaojiao twitched her little nose, her face full of drooling. "It smells so good. I shouldn't have eaten those half-cooked ones earlier."
"You stay here with Sister Liu, I'll go check on the kitchen." Bai Ye stepped towards the kitchen, and the moment she pushed open the door, she froze on the spot.
Zhong Jiuli stood with her back to the door, her slender waist like a willow, her black hair like a waterfall, and her wide white sleeves rolled up to her elbows, revealing a section of her jade-like forearm.
She had always been aloof and ethereal, like a fairy, but now, as she prepared food, she inexplicably exuded a touch of earthy charm. The rising steam from the stove swirled around her, making her appear like a fairy from a painting.
Bai was momentarily mesmerized by the sight.
Zhong Jiuli seemed to sense something, turned around and smiled, "What are you standing there for? Help me take the fish soup out."
"Hey, I'm here." Bai also snapped out of his daze and went to the stove.
In the celadon bowl, the silver fish soup shimmered with a faint ethereal light. The fish meat was as white as jade, the soup base was clear and bright, and a few tender green medicinal herbs floated on top. Just looking at it made one's mouth water.
"These aren't those dark, charred silverfish from before, are they?" Bai asked, puzzled. Those fish had been roasted until they were charred black; how could they have made this snow-white fish soup?
"Yes, I've replaced them. Those silverfish have already been grilled, so they can't be used to make this fish soup."
"Then why did you make me wash the fish just now?"
Zhong Jiuli rolled her eyes at her, "I saw that you didn't want Jiaojiao to eat those fish, so I came up with a solution. Here, I re-grilled them."
She gestured for Bai to look at the crispy roasted silver fish beside her.
"Zhong Jiuli, you're too kind." Bai was also somewhat moved.
What an amazing woman! She's so gentle!
Zhong Jiuli chuckled, "Stop flattering me, hurry up and take it out, it won't be fresh if it gets cold."
Bai chuckled and carefully picked up the bowl, afraid of spilling a single drop of the delicious food that Zhong Jiuli had made herself.
Jiaojiao was already sitting upright at the table, her little hands holding a jade spoon, eagerly waiting for the meal to be served.
"Don't rush, there's more inside. Wait until I bring it all out." Bai put down the fish soup and turned around, only to see Zhong Jiuli gracefully carrying out grilled fish.
The silverfish were grilled until golden and crispy, and the skin was sprinkled with flavorful spices, giving them an irresistible aroma.
The three people and the turtle sat around a small round table, enjoying their first seafood feast since arriving in Dongzhou.
Bai and Jiaojiao ate with their eyes narrowed, the deliciousness of the sea spirit fish far surpassing that of the beast meat from the desolate state.
The fish melts in your mouth, its fresh and sweet flavor exploding on your tongue.
"This...it's so fresh!" Bai said, holding a mouthful of fish, almost moved to tears.
In her past life, the most common seafood-related food she ate was the seaweed and egg drop soup in the cafeteria, which tasted like hot pot broth.
After eating and drinking their fill, Bai and Jiaojiao collapsed on the soft couch, rubbing their round bellies contentedly.
"It's great to be out here experiencing new things, and the food is delicious," Bai exclaimed, looking at the starry sky.
Jiaojiao lay on her back next to her, patting her belly with her little paws. "Jiaojiao also thinks it's really fun to come out with Yezai."
Liu Xianyue's languid voice came from the side, "We're not here for sightseeing; we have serious business to attend to."
With a flick of her finger, a jade slip streaked across the night sky and landed steadily in Bai Ye's hand.
Bai also placed the jade slip between his eyebrows and scanned it with his divine sense. He found that the jade slip contained a detailed map of Dongzhou, which was densely marked with red dots. Several places were specially circled with cinnabar and marked with the words "Sima".
"Are we going to rob the Sima family?" Bai Ye's voice was filled with excitement.
"Brilliant!" Liu Xianyue snapped her fingers. "The Sima family's spirit mines in the Xingsha Sea are our target for this trip."
She pointed to the horizon where the sea met the sky in the distance, "It'll be another half month's flight."
......
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, Bai Ye and Jiao Jiao have tasted all the delicacies of the East China Sea.
The moment they stepped onto the deck, the calm sea instantly boiled! Countless spirit fish leaped out of the water one after another, rushing towards the spirit boat like madmen.
At first, the two of them were in a flurry of activity, but later they became as relaxed as if they were picking vegetables in their own backyard.
After several experiments, they finally discovered the clue. The fish's obsessive target was actually the seemingly harmless Jiao Jiao.
"It seems our little darling has extraordinary bloodline." Liu Xianyue looked at the little turtle with great interest.
Zhong Jiuli also said, "The one that can make these sixth or seventh-tier spirit fish agitated must possess an ancient bloodline."
“Jiaojiao is just an ordinary little turtle…” Jiaojiao seemed startled by the two people’s words. Her little golden head “whoosh” retracted into her shell, and a muffled voice came from her shell, with a slight tremor.
"Yes, you're the most ordinary. Okay, don't be shy." Bai also reached out and scratched her tortoise shell. "Come out and see, we've arrived at Storm Island."
Jiaojiao slowly peeked out, and after seeing the scene in the distance, her little eyes widened in surprise.
Not far away, dozens of tornadoes stood like giant pillars supporting the sky on the sea. The dark blue hurricanes, carrying seawater, shot straight into the clouds, with lightning flashing and thunder roaring within the walls of wind. Occasionally, arcs of electricity struck, turning the sea surface a ghastly white before being swallowed up by the churning waves in an instant.
Behind that devastating storm barrier, a strangely shaped island could be vaguely seen, with a faint spiritual light emanating from it. This was their first destination.
Storm Island is a unique island with a natural barrier that serves as both protection and a prison.
This place is home to many desperate fugitives, rogue cultivators, and treasure hunters... In this perilous land sheltered by hurricanes, the law of the jungle prevails.
As for why he came here first, it's naturally because Boss Liu is here to do something bad, and he can't use his identity.
The three must come to this place, wash away their traces, change their appearance, and then head to the Star Sand Sea.
"How scary," Jiao Jiao muttered softly.
Bai also deeply agreed, "It is terrifying. The power of nature is enough to destroy the world."
She turned to Zhong Jiuli, "How are we going to get across? Can this spirit boat withstand it?"
Before Zhong Jiuli could answer, Liu Xianyue had already taken out a blue pearl. As soon as the pearl appeared, it emitted a soft blue light, enveloping the entire spirit boat and protecting it from the hurricane.
"Is this a wind-avoiding bead?" Bai asked curiously.
"You little rascal, you do have a good eye." Liu Xianyue chuckled and began to proudly recount how she had the discerning eye to pick out this Wind-Avoiding Pearl from among a sea of fakes.
Bai casually brushed off Pavilion Master Liu, his eyes fixed on the raging hurricane outside the spirit boat. If he could go home in the future, he would have one more thing to brag about.
Has anyone ever seen a first-person perspective of traversing a super tornado hurricane?
As the spirit boat flew into the eye of the storm, the hurricane strangely subsided considerably. Bai also thought of a question, "How do cultivators without wind-avoiding beads enter this Storm Island?"
Zhong Jiuli did not speak, but instead raised her hand and pointed to the pitch-black sea below.
Bai peered down, but the seawater below was churning and she couldn't see clearly. She instinctively released her divine sense, but it was torn apart by the strange, immense force in the eye of the storm the moment it left her body.
She had no choice but to activate her Eye of Truth and look down, where she saw more than ten cultivators struggling in the waves. Their protective auras, in various colors, flickered uncertainly in the storm, like candles in the wind.
"Ah!" A short, painful scream rang out.
The moment the giant wave crashed down, a young cultivator was completely transformed into a cloud of blood mist and vanished into the seawater.
Bai Ye instinctively tried to leap out of the spirit boat, but Zhong Jiuli grabbed his shoulder.
“There is no need for mercy here.” Zhong Jiuli’s voice was calm. “Those who come to Storm Island are either desperados or… are destined to die in this storm.”
"But someone is calling for help," Bai said with some reluctance. She could see clearly that there were two very young sisters below.
When the older sister came through the storm, she protected her younger sister and prevented her from getting hurt in the slightest.
"Fine, then let me show you what a real desperado is!" Zhong Jiuli said, turning to Liu Xianyue.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
